Mamata Banerjee Officially Declares Solo Battle; Congress Offers Response

Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress has unveiled its candidates for all 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, a move that conspicuously sidelines the Congress, which had expressed openness to seat-sharing negotiations just days earlier.

Both Congress and Trinamool are constituents of the INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties aimed at challenging the BJP in the upcoming elections. However, today’s exclusion of Congress aligns with Mamata Banerjee’s assertion that only her party can effectively contest the BJP in Bengal, further exacerbated by the breakdown in seat-sharing talks with Congress.

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In response to Trinamool’s candidate list release, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh stated, “The Indian National Congress has repeatedly expressed its desire for a fair seat-sharing agreement with the TMC in West Bengal. Such agreements should be finalized through negotiations, not unilateral announcements.”

Ramesh emphasized Congress’s commitment to the INDIA group’s collective fight against the BJP.

Trinamool’s candidate list for the Lok Sabha polls notably includes the dropping of at least eight sitting MPs, and introducing new faces such as former cricketers Yusuf Pathan and Kirti Azad. Pathan will contest from the Baharampur Lok Sabha seat, traditionally held by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, marking Trinamool’s strategic response to Chowdhury’s persistent criticisms of the party.

Furthermore, Trinamool has fielded its former MP Haji Nurul Islam from the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, where Sandeshkhali is situated, replacing sitting MP Nusrat Jahan.

Additionally, expelled Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra has been renominated by Trinamool from the Krishnanagar seat for a second consecutive term.

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Seat-sharing negotiations between Congress and Trinamool had been ongoing for months, but Trinamool consistently withdrew from discussions whenever Congress demanded more than three seats in the state.

This standoff led to Mamata Banerjee’s absence from the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra passing through Bengal, depriving the INDIA bloc of showcasing unity amid ongoing BJP political attacks over perceived discord within the Opposition front.